Sylvia has recently been denied a promotion. This is the third time she was turned down for a promotion despite excellent performance reviews. Her manager assures her that she was qualified for the promotion but "that's just the way things go." After this latest disappointment, Sylvia did an in-depth research on the history of her company. She found that only two women candidates had been promoted to upper management positions in the company's entire history. is the factor that is most likely obstructing Sylvia's career growth.